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New Member Clutch and Timing Belt/Chain Questions

First, I am delighted to have found this board. I have owned a 91 Legacy, an 86 GL10, and now have a 2000 Outback Legacy wagon with 58k miles.

My questions are as follows:

1) I have a badly slipping clutch which I have been nursing along for a few months. the slippage on acceleration is worsening, so I think I don't have much time left. Is the factory replacement a good choice, or is there an aftermarket clutch that is a better part to have installed?

2) The old rule of thumb I was taught for Subaru timing chains is that 60k miles is the average time of replacement. Is that true for the 2000 I have?

I appreciate all of your help in advance. I will be going out of the country in a few weeks and figure it will be the ideal time to have my car in the shop. Since I need a new clutch, it makes sense to have the timing chain replaced at the same time if it is nearing its life expectancy.

The original clutch was, I believe, an Exedy clutch, which is a well respected clutch on this board (from everything I have heard). I would have the timing belt/chain replaced as you are already having the car in the shop. I would also have all the seals that are behind the timing belt also changed. Is this an H4 or an H6 engine? H4 engines have a belt and the H6 has a chain. From what I have heard, Federal standard vehicles have 60,000 mile belts, and CA standard cars have 105,000 mile belts. Try and get them to put a California standard belt on if you can, just for insurance.

Assuming the 2000 Outback clutch is similar to the '96 clutch I would recommend that you have the adjustment of the clutch cable checked before going to the expense of a new clutch if the only symptom is slipping. Two years ago my sister was told by a dealer that she needed a new clutch at about 125,000 miles because her's was slipping. An adjustment of the cable, however, ended the slipping and she's been driving it for these past two years on the original clutch with no problems.

probably an Exady it was not one of Subaru and Exadys better efforts. I suspect this was from the same batch of new material that my 99 Forester was. At best these cars had chatter when cold and many of them seem to fail earlier. I do understand they recycle better though.
This is hydraulicly operated on this car I believe and there is no adjustment.
By the way Gnu showed me his Legacy the other day and that has to be the easiest adjustment I ever saw on a car.

probably an Exady it was not one of Subaru and Exadys better efforts. I suspect this was from the same batch of new material that my 99 Forester was. At best these cars had chatter when cold and many of them seem to fail earlier. I do understand they recycle better though. This is hydraulicly operated on this car I believe and there is no adjustment. By the way Gnu showed me his Legacy the other day and that has to be the easiest adjustment I ever saw on a car.

And I got the car because the clutch was slipping and "something under the car, that will be very expensive to have a mechanic fix, but the parts are cheap" was going out (turned out to be the ball joints). I had the car running like new in about 10 mins. . . .

I'll give you just one guess exactly when I fell in love with Subarus. . . .

get this, my mom had my 86' GL for like 10 years and never replaced the clutch, then it started slipping one day and she had it replaced, 10 years and like 100,000 miles, maybe it was a blessed clutch, come to think about it, she did grandma the damn thing.